For anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight and keep it off, you understand the difference between the physical and emotional aspects of any physical fitness or weight loss program. Weight loss involves so much more than climbing on a treadmill, lifting weights, or jogging in the neighborhood park. Successful weight loss also involves mental determination, positive thinking, and self-motivation.

Many individuals attempting a weight loss program don’t understand the importance of setting goals that are manageable and realistic. Whether you have 10 pounds to lose or 100 or more pounds to lose, a successful weight loss program must take into consideration attitude, reasons for achieving weight loss, current eating habits, and determination and willingness to make changes and stick to them.

Unrealistic weight loss goals and objectives only serve to disappoint and discourage. Because of this, it is important for individuals to understand the word “patience”. While it may not take that much time to put on excess weight, taking it off is a totally different matter. Most weight-loss experts advise individuals to lose an average of two pounds a week for a safe weight loss program.

Focusing on short-term and reasonable weight loss goals helps achieve weight loss success. Understanding and avoiding disempowering thoughts that sabotage your weight-loss efforts are also important to recognize and overcome. For example, when it comes to setting realistic weight loss goals, individuals need to break their weight-loss into manageable chunks. A person who needs to lose 20 pounds might focus on losing 2 pounds a week, or 8 pounds a month. Realistically, a person in such a situation may be able to lose those 20 pounds within 12 weeks.

However, for those who need to lose more than 20 pounds, the time frame may be different, though no less successful. This is where patience comes in. Instead of setting out thinking you need to lose 50 or 100 pounds, set your goals at 10 or 20 pound increments. This way, small successes encourage long-term commitment and determination to finish a program. A person who needs to lose between 40 and 50 pounds may realistically set goals for four to five months in the future.

These short-term goals help individuals reach milestones at a faster rate and to maintain long-term diet and exercise programs more successfully. Celebrate small achievements such as 5-pound weight loss increments. Instead of focusing on the overall amount of weight that needs to be lost, achieving 5 to 10 pound weight loss successes will do wonders for your mental and emotional outlook.

Weight loss also encourages a change in lifestyle and eating habits that can’t be achieved overnight. Setting goals to eliminate bad food items from your diet may be achieved with greater success when taken one at a time rather than all at once.

For example, an individual who regularly indulges in fast food, soda, beer, or sugary desserts will find it extremely intimidating to eradicate all those items at once. Instead, focuses on small changes that take place over one-week increments are less stressful. The first week, focus your attention on avoiding the fast food. At the same time, you may decrease the amount of soda, beer, or desserts from your diet without eradicating them entirely. The following week, focus on avoiding or reducing the amount of another item that is detrimental to your diet or health.

The same approach can be used for changes in exercise or lifestyle habits. Don’t expect to go to the gym and run a mile on the treadmill your first week. Instead, while you are tackling your food issues, work your way up to various exercise routines by starting slowly. For example, instead of attempting to run a mile on the treadmill your first week of exercise, focus on stretching and strengthening exercises that will help limber your body and focus your mind on how good you feel to just be moving.

Setting realistic goals, maintaining a positive attitude, prioritizing your health and physical fitness as well as laying out a well planned, realistic and performance-based weight-loss program will ensure greater success.

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